SMITHFIELD, Va. , Jan. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the 2019 competition barbecue season kicks off, Smithfield® is excited to present the recipients of the third-annual Smokin’ With Smithfield Grant program. After receiving more than 200 applications, 33 non-profit and community barbecue events across the country have been carefully selected to receive $3,000 each, totaling $99,000 on behalf of the brand. Established in 2017, the Smokin’ With Smithfield Grant program is designed to provide event support for sanctioned barbecue competitions and deepen the prize pool in overall and major meat categories for participating cook teams.

“Since the inception of this program, we’re proud to have awarded 119 grants, bringing our total investment to nearly $400,000,” said Emily Detwiler, director of fresh pork marketing for Smithfield Foods. “From our sponsorships of major competitions, to lasting relationships with award-winning pitmasters, and commitment to delivering consistent, top quality products, this program is just one of the many ways Smithfield continues to invest in the sport of competition barbecue.”

2019 Grant Program Winners
Jan. 18-19: Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge, Bullhead City, Ariz.
Jan. 25-26: Lakeland Pigfest, Lakeland, Fla.
March 1-2: Sip and Swine BBQ Festival, Lawrenceville, Ga.
March 22-23: Hammond BBQ Challenge, Hammond, La.
March 29-30: Suncoast BBQ & Bluegrass Bash, Venice, Fla.
April 5-6: Beeville Spring Fest BBQ Cookoff, Beeville, Texas
April 12-13: Smoke In The Spring, Osage City, Kan.
April 19-20: High on the Hog Festival, Winchester, Tenn.
April 26-27: HANOR Smokin’ Red Dirt BBQ, Enid, Okla.
April 26-27: Bishop Wild Horse Desert Roundup and BBQ Cook-Off, Kingsville, Texas
April 26-28: WashMO BBQ, Bikes & Blues, Washington, Mo.
May 3-4: Jiggy With the Piggy BBQ Challenge, Kannapolis, N.C.
May 3-5: Masters In May, Bancroft, Wis.
May 4-5: BBQ Jamboree Double, Fredericksburg, Va.
May 24-26: Westmont Red, White & BBQ, Westmont, Ill.
May 31-June 1: Big Blue BBQ Championship, Marysville, Kan.
May 31-June 1: Smokin’ In Steele BBQ & Blues Festival, Owatonna, Minn.
May 31-June 1: Valley Veterans BBQ Competition, Valley, Neb.
May 31-June 1: Original South Dakota BBQ Championships, Huron, S.D.
June 21-22: Covington Cork and Pork Festival, Covington, Va.
June 22-23: Belvidere Heritage Day’s BBQ Showdown, Belvidere, Ill.
July 12-13: Gold Ribbin’ BBQ Fest, Green Bay, Wis.
July 27-28: Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge, Gilroy, Calif.
Aug. 16-18: Hudson Valley RibFest, New Paltz, N.Y.
Aug. 23-24: Death’s Door Bar-B-Q, Washington Island, Wis.
Sept. 14-15: Table Rock Boats & Bones, Kimberling City, Mo.
Sept. 20-21: Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues & BBQ Rally, Salisbury, N.C.
Sept. 20-21: Riverfest BBQ and Music Fest, Decatur, Ala.
Sept. 20-21: Tri-City BBQ Fest, Denison, Iowa
Sept. 27-29: Wildwood BBQ Bash, Wildwood, Mo.
Oct. 11-12: MS Delta State Barbecue Championship/Cleveland Octoberfest, Cleveland, Miss.
Nov. 30-Dec. 1: Downtown Jonesboro BBQ & Music Festival, Jonesboro, Ark.
Dec. 13-14: Briscoe Ranch BBQ Cook-off, Uvalde, Texas

In addition, the brand recently launched the Smokin’ With Smithfield National Barbecue Championship, the first-ever unified points chase open to all competition barbecue cooks in the country, designed to level the playing field across all major sanctioning bodies and events. To register your team for the National Barbecue Championship and check the current leaderboard, or to learn more about the Smokin’ With Smithfield Grant and Committed Cooks programs, please visit www.SmokinWithSmithfield.com. 

About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia. From hand-trimmed ribs, loins and bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield’s products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan’s Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Farmer John®, Kretschmar®, John Morrell®, Cook’s®, Gwaltney®, Carando®, Margherita®, Curly’s®, Healthy Ones®, Morliny®, Krakus® and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.SmithfieldFoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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